Condensing drain valves



March 6, 1962 A. J. FRANZ CONDENSINC; DRAIN VALVES Filed Sept. 27, 1960 THE IR A 7' TORNE Y5 United States Patent 3,023,776 CONDENSING DRAIN VALVES Arthur J. Franz, Pittsburgh, Pa., assiguor to Fisher Scientific Company, Pittsburgh, Pa. Filed Sept. 27, 1960, Ser. No. 58,785 1 Claim. (Cl. 137-587) This application relates to condensing drain valves, and more particularly to a drain valve which may form part of apparatus having a container for receiving a heated liquid or steam.

My drain valve is particularly useful in connection with washers which follow an automatically timed washing cycle during which, as one step in the cycle, live steam is injected into the washer tank to sterilize and clean the glassware being washed in the tank. When live steam is injected into the tank, it creates considerable pressure which must be relieved to prevent escape of steam into the room in which the washer is located where it will condense on the walls of the room and various articles in the room. My condensing drain valve solves this problem by aspirating the steam out of the washing chamber, condensing the steam and disposing of the condensed steam out through the regular drain provided for the washer. The condensing valve is also useful in disposing of the water vapor given off when wash water, used in another step of the wahsing cycle, is heated.

In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated certail'ln presently preferred embodiments of our invention in w ch:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of my condensing drain valve affixed to a wall of the tank of an automatic washer;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of my condensing drain valve; and

FIGURE 3 is a section along lines 111-411 of FIG- URE 2.

Referring to the drawing, my condensing drain valve comprises a hollow drain fitting 4 which is connected to the bottom 5 of a tank of an automatic washer by a wall tube 6, a U-bend 7 and a standard drain unit 8.

My drain valve also has an outer tube 9 which extends vertically from an opening in the drain fitting 4 and parallel to the front wall 10 of the tank. A pipe T 11 is connected to an opening 12 in the wall 10 and has one arm 13 which extends into the upper end of the outer tube 9.

The drain fitting 4 also has an outlet 14 whereby it can be connected to a drain provided at the location where the washer is installed.

Within the outer tube 9 there is an inner tube 15 open at both ends and having an internal diameter greater than the external diameter of the arm 13 of the T 11 so that the arm extends inside the upper end of the tube 15 as shown in FIGURE 3 of the drawing. The lower end of the tube 15 has a valve ring 16 which rests on a valve seat 17 formed in the drain fitting 4.

The inner tube 15 may be raised when required by a solenoid 18 which is actuated by the timing mechanism which controls the sequence of operation of the washer. A U-shaped yoke 19 having its two arms secured to the upper end of the inner tube 15 is connected to the armature of the solenoid by a yoke support block 20 which is held by screws to the base of the yoke 19 and to two arms 21 which extend from the armature of the solenoid.

When the tube 15 is raised the valve ring 16 s lifted from its valve seat 17 and water will flow from the tank directly into the drain fitting 4 and then through outlet 14 to the drain.

Referring to FIGURE 3, the inner tube 15 has four holes 15a spaced equidistantly around the tube at a point approximately two-thirds of its length up from its lower end. As water rises in the tank, it will rise to the same height in the annular space between the inner tube 15 and the outer tube 9 because this annular space is connected to the tank through drain fitting 4, wall tube 6, U-bend 7 and drain unit 8. When the water in the space between the inner and outer tubes reaches the level of the openings 15a in the tube 15, it will overflow into the interior of the tube 15 and out through the lower open end of this tube into the drain fitting 4 and out through the outlet 14 into the drain. It will be noted that the openings 15a are below the level of the opening 12 to which the T 11 is connected so that the opening 12 is above the highest water level in the tank.

The upper arm 22 of the T 11 has a plug 23 at its open end which supports a pipe 24 which extends downwardly through both arms of the T 11 into the inner tube 15 to a point approximately one-fourth of the length of the tube from the top of the tube. At its lower end, the pipe 24 carries a conventional atomizing nozzle 25 which, when the pipe 24 is supplied with water, produces a coneshaped spray directed down into the center of the inner tube 15.

The pipe 24 is connected to the supply pipe for water for the washer and is controlled by a valve (not shown) which is opened at the same time during the washing cycle that live stream is admitted to the tank. When water is sprayed from the nozzle 25, it acts as a pump to withdraw steam from the tank. Spray from the nozzle 25 aspirates the steam from the tank and condenses it inside the inner tube.' The condensed steam then flows out to the drain in the same manner as water which overflows through the openings 15a.

The U-bend 7 prevents steam from flowing from the tank to the space between the inner tube 15 and the outer tube 9 from which it could escape through the top of the tube 9 into the room in which the washer is located.

Spray from the nozzle 25 also aspirates air through the open tops of the tubes 9 and 15 and, since the drain for the washer has a trap, the air which is aspirated must be allowed to pass out of the drain system. A vent tube 26 is connected to the drain fitting 4 and permits the aspirated air to escape from the system. The top of this vent is at a higher level than the openings 15a in the tube 15 so that water will not flow out of the vent tube when the tube 15 is raised to drain the washer tank.

From the foregoing it is apparent that my invention efiectively solves the problem presented by the injection of live steam into the washer tank. My condensing drain valve removes steam from the tank, condenses it and passes it into the washer drain. The steam does not escape into the room where the washer is located. The condenser is also useful in disposing of the water vapor given off as the wash water is heated.

While I have described certain presently preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it may be otherwise variously embodiment within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A condensing drain valve for a washing machine having a tank in which articles are washed, comprising a hollow drain fitting having an outlet for connection to a drain provided in the location where the machine is positioned, a valve seat in said fitting, a pipe connecting an opening-in the bottom of the tank to said fitting on one side of said valve seat, said outlet connection being on the other side of the valve seat, a vertically extending tube connected to the drain fitting on the same side of said valve seat as said pipe, an opening in the wall of the tank above the highest water level in the tank, said tube extending vertically to a point adjacent said opening, a pipe T connected to said opening and having one arm extending into the top of said vertically extending tube, a secand tube within the first tube and having a valve ring on its lower end to cooperate with said valve seat, said sec- 3 0nd tube extending to a point adjacent the top of said vertically extending tube and surrounding the arm of the pipe T whereby said second tube cuts oif the flow of water from the tank to the outlet connection for a drain when the valve ring rests'on th'evalve seat, a water spray nozzle 5 in the second tube positioned below the arm of said pipe T which extends into the second tube, means for supplying water to said nozzle, a vent tube connecting the interior of said drain fitting which is on the same side of said valve seat as said outlet to atmosphere, and means for lifting said second tube to raise the valve ring from the valve seat and permit water to flow from the tank through the valve fitting to the drain.

Graham Sept. 15, 1885 Blodgett Nov. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No 3,023,776 March 6, 1962 Arthur J. Franz It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent reqiiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 1, line 27, for "wahsing" read washing line 64, for "5" read is column 2. line 24, for "stream read steam column 3, line 1 after "said" insert first Signed and sealed this 19th day of June 1962.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST w. SWIDER DAVID LADD Attesfing Officer Commissioner of Patents 

